State Equity Plans that Address Working Conditions as a Means to Increase Teacher Retention and Equitable Teacher Distribution PDF - NCLB requires that all teachers of core academic subjects be highly qualified. States are working diligently to achieve this goal, but are facing many obstacles. One of the largest challenges that states face is the issue of equitable distribution of experienced teachers. This ECS StateNote reports on transfer and attrition rates of teachers and the percentage of state equity plans that target teacher working conditions as a means to increase teacher retention and equitable distribution of teachers. (Angela Baber, Education Commission of the States, January 2007)...

Closing Gaps: Diversifying Minnesota's Teacher Workforce - In Minnesota, 29 percent of students are of color, but 4 percent of the teacher workforce is of color. In an effort to balance that disparity, this brief offers recommendations on teacher recruitment, induction and retention. For example, recruit high school students of color and support them through college, provide high-quality mentorship programs and use performance before seniority in layoff decisions. (Educators 4 Excellence, February 2015)...

Retaining Great Teachers in Denver's Highest Poverty Schools, A Report of the Teacher Retention Task Force - A task force considering teacher turnover in Denver's public schools - especially in highest poverty schools - has identified quality of leadership,unsustainable workloads and too much assessment as problems. The work of a group of teachers, the report recommends a clearer process for hiring principals which includes teachers, support for teachers in terms of fewer assessments and more planning time, support for students including counselors, nurses and parent liaisons and rewards and recognition. (Education First, January 2015)...

Educator Retention and Recruitment Report - Looking at a growing shortage of teachers in Arizona, this report recommends ways for policymakers to attract and retain teachers. Included in recommendations are a statewide increase in salaries, development of recruiting materials, and a recognition that young teachers can't find affordable housing and struggle to make payments on student loans. Induction and mentoring programs are needed to support them. (Arizona Department of Education Educator Retention and Recruitment Task Force, January 2015)...

Teacher Supply and Demand - In 2015, a supply-and-demand study concluded Minnesota had had an overall reduction in the supply of teachers, especially in shortage areas, which include special education, ESL, math, school psychology, Spanish, physics and chemistry. Student enrollment is expected to rise and students are increasingly diverse. Problems include a lack of substitute teachers and teacher testing requirements have had a dampening effect on teacher training institutions' ability to attract students. (Minnesota Department of Education, January 2015)...

Effective Teacher Retention Bonuses: Evidence from Tennessee - Bonuses to retain Tennessee teachers with top evaluation ratings in low achieving schools had a positive effect, researchers found. However, the bonuses only worked to retain teachers of "tested" grades and subjects. More caveats: it's important to remember the benefits of retention bonus are only as strong as the measures of effectiveness are accurate. And in this case, rule noncompliance made it difficult to rule out the possibility that principals offered bonuses selectively based on an alternative criterion. (Matthew G. Springer, Luis A. Rodriquez and Walker A. Swain, Tennessee Consortium on Research, Evaluation & Development, June 2014)...

TELL Kentucky: Creating Supportive School Conditions for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness - To do their best work with students, teachers need supportive school environments that maximize their
opportunity to be effective. In order to assess whether critical teaching and learning conditions are present in schools across Kentucky, 42,000 educators were given a newly designed Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning Survey (TELL) Kentucky Survey. Findings are generally positive, but there is room for improvement. The authors provide recommendations for state policymakers to consider toward improving conditions throughout the
state.(New Teacher Center, 2013)...

GoTeach South Dakota - This website offers information on a program at the University of South Dakota that aims to increase K-12 student achievement by developing quality teachers for South Dakota’s high-need rural areas. As part of the GoTeach experience, participating students will be enrolled in a specific track of the USD School of Education. This track offers all the benefits of the education program, as well as unique course work and experiences that address the diverse needs of rural education. Upon graduation, GoTeach teachers will take jobs in rural South Dakota communities where they will use their specialized courses, experiences and mentoring to enhance the lives of K-12 students. (The University of South Dakota, 2012)...

Teacher Diversity Matters: A State-by-State Analysis of Teachers of Color - This report highlights the disparity between teachers of color and their students in public schools. According to the report, the makeup of the nation’s teacher workforce force has not kept up with changing demographics. At the national level, students of color make up more than 40% of the public school population. In contrast, teachers of color—teachers who are not non-Hispanic white—are only 17% of the teaching force. Teachers of color serve as role models for students, giving them a clear and concrete sense of what diversity in education and our society looks like. The report includes a 50-state analysis of teachers of color. The disparity was lowest in Vermont, Maine and West Virginia (4 percent) and highest in California (43 percent). (Ulrich Boser, Center for American Progress, November 2011)...

Washington State High Schools Pay Less for Math and Science Teachers than for Teachers in Other Subjects - Washington's state legislature unanimously passed a law in March 2010 that was intended to improve teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). However, this analysis from the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education reveals that Washington state may be doing just the opposite as the average pay for math and science teachers in high schools is less than the average pay for teachers in other subjects. (Center on Reinventing Public Education, August 17, 2010)...

Increased Funding and Program Delivery Changes Aim to Increase Florida’s Teachers and Nurses - Florida, like other states, has established scholarships and loan forgiveness programs to encourage students to enroll in teacher preparation and nursing programs, particularly in areas of high need. This progress report informs the Florida Legislature of the actions taken in relation to a 2005 Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability (OPPAGA) report regarding strategies to encourage students to enroll in these programs. (OPPAGA, November 2007)...

Recruiting and Retaining Quality Teachers for High Needs Schools: Insights from NBCT Summits and Other Policy Initiatives - Studies consistently show that teachers who are better trained, more experienced and licensed in the subjects they teach are more likely to be teaching in more affluent schools, serving more academically advantaged students. The same is true for teachers who generate higher student test scores as well as those who earn National Board Certification. Addressing the maldistribution of qualified teachers may be the most vexing public school problem facing America’s policymakers today. (Barnett Berry, Melissa Rasberry and Alice Williams, National Strategy Forum, 2007)...

TQ Source on Recruitment and Retention - This Web site contains a wealth of data, including an interactive data tool allowing for comparisons among states or against national or regional data on a number of measures, including when job offers were most frequently made to teachers, the percentage of districts that dismissed teachers due to poor performance, the typical salary districts offer teachers who have a bachelor’s degree but no teaching experience and more. The Web site also features a policy database for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories, in addition to publications and recruitment and retention initiatives databases....